Reply to letter from the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation by Bill Graham, Foreign Minister of Canada
I understand that an expansion on the part of the United States of nuclear attack options would be cause for concern, and can assure you that this question has been raised by Canada at the highest level. During their discussion of the Nuclear Posture Review on March 14th, 2002, President Bush told the Prime Minister that the United States had not changed its policy on the use of nuclear weapons. It should be noted that the U.S. Department of Defense has issued a statement describing the Nuclear Posture Review as "wide-ranging analysis of the requirements for deterrence in the 21st century" that "does not provide operational guidance on nuclear targeting or planning." Numerous senior U.S. officials have since declared that the Nuclear Posture Review is not a policy document.
Canada's position on the use of nuclear weapons remains that outlined in the government's April 1999 policy statement Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation: Advancing Canadian Objectives. This document states that "Canada will continue to resist any movement to validate nuclear weapons as acceptable currency in international politics." Canada's objective remains the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
In this regard, at the First Preparatory Committee meeting of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), held in New York from April 8th to 19th, Canada took the opportunity to enhance the Treaty's authority and integrity by: reporting on the steps it has taken to implement the Treaty and encouraging other states to do the same; stressing the need for progress towards the fulfilment of Article VI obligations; promoting the universalisation of, and compliance with, the Treaty; encouraging the widespread adoption of IAEA full-scope safeguards; and supporting appropriate initiatives to combat potential nuclear terrorism. The NPT Preparatory Committee was also an opportunity for Canada to reiterate its belief that the issue of tactical nuclear weapons, as well as strategic nuclear weapons, must be addressed; to seek clarity on the Russian-U.S. plans for nuclear reductions (since codified in the May 24 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty); to welcome the reaffirmation of negative security assurances by all five nuclear weapons states; and to reaffirm our support for both the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and a continued moratorium on nuclear testing.
Within Nato, Canada has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the alliance continues to uphold the global non-proliferation regime. In December 2000, Canada succeeded in ensuring that NATO explicitly and publicly endorsed the 13 practical steps towards disarmament from the Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference. Thus, all NATO members (as NPT States Parties) and the organisation itself have accepted the obligations agreed upon in the document. Moreover, as announced on May 14th, NATO has entered into a closer relationship with Russia. The new NATO-Russia Council will allow improved co-operation on a number of matters, including counter-terrorism and non-proliferation.
In closing, let me assure you that Canada intends to continue advancing its key nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament goals in all relevant fora.
Back to Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation letter
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Anna Lindh, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden
Bill Graham, Foreign Minister of Canada
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